Official Cuban media have published a photograph of a smiling Maradona shaking hands with Castro, who is wearing a sporty blue jacket.

Communist Party newspaper Granma said Monday that it was an "animated and fruitful exchange between two old friends."

The two have known each other since Maradona first visited the island in 1986.

The soccer great also lived for several years in Cuba, where he came in 2000 for treatment for substance abuse.

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Fidel Castro Death Rumors

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This picture released by Cubadebate on its website Monday Oct. 22, 2012 shows Cuban leader Fidel Castro holding a copy Friday's Oct. 19, 2012 edition of the newspaper Granma in Habana, Cuba. Persistent rumors circulated last week that the former Cuban leader was on his deathbed or had suffered a massive stroke.(AP Photo/Alex Castro, Cubadebate)